Our triple xl soccer star.....

Hello All



First and foremost my apologies for the recent drought with respect to blog postings; however, the hiatus is over and I look forward to posting random thoughts once again.



As a special treat I have included a recent interview conducted by the Vancouver Whitecaps Fan Blog with our very own Shaun Lowther. The Whitecaps are the talk of the town in Vancouver as they prepare for the inaugural MLS season after years perennial success in the USL top flight. The coming year marks the first time the Whitecaps have truly performed on the continents biggest stage since the NASL successes of the 70's and early 80's. As part of the new found fanfare the Whitecaps have looked back and embraced some of the great teams from the past including those that Shaun has been a part of. I very much enjoyed the interview below as I was childhood fan of the Caps and didn't miss a game from 1980 to 1984 collecting game programs, pennants and soccer cards along the way including a 45' record featuring Shaun and the lads attempting to sing a song.



Enjoy:

Could you describe where you came from? I think you were born overseas and came to Canada later?

I was born in North Shields a small town just outside of Newcastle in the North East of England. Like any other Geordie lad I grew up watching Newcastle United play. I played for my school and district teams and also played boys club football. I was fortunate to play for Wallsend Boys Club. Other notable players that played for Wallsend were Whitecaps team-mates Peter Beardsley and Ray Hankin as well as players such as current Sunderland Manager Steve Bruce and Burnley Manager Brian Laws. Players such as Alan Shearer and Michael Carrick also started their football with the Boys Club. I signed schoolboy forms with Sunderland at age 14.

In June 1978 at age 16 my family emigrated to Edmonton, Alberta and I got my first taste of football in Canada when I played for the Edmonton Scottish of the Alberta Major Soccer League. I also represented Alberta U18’s. The Edmonton Drillers were formed that year and I trained with them during the 1979 season. League rules stipulated that you had to be 18 to sign. In September 1979 Graham Leggatt decided to “hide” me by sending me to Manchester United. I arrived at Man United and started playing with their A team and represented them in the FA Youth Cup. In the NASL draft the Whitecaps who had been watching me play at United decided to take a chance on me and drafted me. A contract was offered and I attended training camp at Bisham Abbey in March 1980 and signed in due course.

During which seasons did you play with the Whitecaps?

My first season with the Whitecaps was in 1980 and my last was 1984 and the NASL folded later that year.

Which Coaches/managers did you play under? Who was you favorite?

1st Team Managers in this order: Tony Waiters, Bob McNab, Johnny Giles, Derek Possee and Alan Hinton, Reserves: Richard Dinnis, Nobby Stiles, Alan Errington, Alan Goad and I would be remiss not to mention the backroom staff such as Les Wilson, Jock McDonald, Lou Moro, Barry Crocker, George Wright. My favorite amongst the lot was probably Gilesy. Although I played every game under Hinton, was very impressed with the organizational skills of Waiters and laughed my socks off with McNab, Johnny Giles was the Manager who I thought had it all. He knew the game inside and out. His memory of things that had occurred 5 or 6 months previous during matches was uncanny. I yearned for Gilesy to speak to me individually during training so that he could impart some of his wisdom to me. In training he was often the best player during the 5-a-side. I prided myself on being able to pass the ball well but Gilesy was the master in his playing career and even in retirement he was the best.

Name some top players you got to play with/against against during your career?

There are a lot of very good players. As a schoolboy/youth player in the UK played with or against players such as Steve Bruce, Peter Beardsley, Brian Laws, Trevor Stevens, Paul Radcliffe, Mark Hughes, Norman Whiteside, Neville Southall and more. For the Whitecaps, Alan Ball, Willie Johnston, Roger Kenyon, Bruce Grobbelaar, Bruce Wilson, Bob Lenarduzzi, Carl Valentine, George Best, Granitza, Margetic, Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens, Johhny Rep, Teofilo Cubilas, Rudi Krol etc, etc, etc. Without doubt the player that I thought was not only the best Whitecap but in my opinion the best in the whole league during that 5 year period was Frans Thijssen. An absolutely tremendous footballer but also a wonderful man.

What positions did you play for the Whitecaps?

Right back mostly sometimes left back and on the odd occasion Alan Hinton used to play me as a holding midfielder with strict orders to “Kick the living daylights” out of the oppositions best player.

Biggest match you played in with the Whitecaps?

This is a tough one. My home debut in 1980 against the Portland Timbers at Empire was pretty special. A game against the New York Cosmos at BC Place when 7 Canadians started and Terry Felix scored the winner. However, I think a match in 1984 against the New York Cosmos at Giants Stadium I was given the role of “kicking the shit” out of Vladislav Bogicevic undoubtedly their midfield general and one of the best players ever in the NASL. It was an important game as we had not guaranteed a play-off berth yet. I went out played out of my skin and shut him down receiving Man of The Match from BCTV.


I am very interested in the 1980 season in which Ball and Johnston left and Rudi Krol came on board. Any memories?

My first season with the club I was a bright eyed 18 year old who was star struck as I had grew up in England watching all these fantastic footballers on TV and live at St James Park in Newcastle. In hindsight now it was a funny season. The Whitecaps had won Soccerbowl the previous season and the players were demanding pay raises. So there was a lot of tension in the squad. Tony Waiters had his hands full trying to manage some ver strong characters in Willie Johnston, Alan Ball. Ray Hankin, Trevor Whymark, Phil Parkes etc. One of my favorite footballing memories was the display that Ruud Krol and Alan Ball exhibited when they played together for the first time. The two of them put on a clinic of one touch football. I was in the stands that day and I was amazed at how the two of them tore the opposition apart with 1-2’s. Krol coming out of the back and linking up with Ball was tremendous. Krols passing range was phenomenal. It was a very good team and really we had the players to repeat but the off the field tension probably cost us in the end.

There are a few funny stories from that season.

1. Prior to a trip to California that had been speculation in the media that Tony was going to get rid of Bally and Willie. We trained at Norwegian Seamens Centre in Burnaby in the morning and were going to take an afternoon flight to LA straight after training. Tony Waiters was giving a bollocking to yours truly, Davey Norman and a couple of the other youngsters in the middle of the pitch because we had not been washing the kit correctly or something silly like that. As we are getting this bollocking Willie comes side skipping past us with these massive joke sunglasses on. We are all staring at him thinking what the heck is he doing. He then turns around and he has this huge FOR SALE sign pinned to his back.

2. That same trip we are in Anaheim and we have a day off so we decide to go to Disneyland. In Disneyland Bruce Grobbelaar buys a fake arm cast. When we get back to the hotel, he puts on the cast and we call George Wright (Physio) and tell him that Grobs as had an accident at Disneyland. He comes to the room and he buys it. He then calls Waiters and Grobbelaar did such a good job that he convinced them both that his arm was broken. They were discussing who they were going to fly in, so they were not to pleased when we finally let them know it was joke.

I believe you played for the Canadian national team. How many Caps?

17 Caps I believe.

There we have the end of the interview - now moving along with the blog. The very moment Shaun and I are speaking of the interview a manila envelope arrives from I believe Maryland USA addressed to our star Shaun Lowther. I suggested it could be a bomb so what does he do - Shaun shakes the envelope a couple of times and waits.....no explosion we are good to open the envelope. What occurred next was an EXPLOSION of laughter as inside the envelope were two 7-11 Shaun Lowther Vancouver Whitecap trading cards, a US dollar and a hand written note with intricate instructions of where Shaun should sign the trading cards and to use the dollar for postage back to the US. Our star has truly been born now - first an interview from a fan club, second trading cards in the mail - what next? All day literally every 30 seconds Shaun would ask - how did I sound in the interview? Or how did I look in the card? No mirror was passed without him sneaking a peak! I do believe the window at his desk has been swapped for a mirror! Picture us eating lunch - Mexican food to be exact with re fried beans on his chin - and Shaun rambling about his trading cards.

Priceless:



In all seriousness Shaun Lowther is a great sport and most deserving of any accolade, recognition and/or merit he recieves. Shaun was truly a great player, a fantastic coach in fact one of this nation's very best in both categories and we are most lucky to have him.

Cheers.

As is customary with most creative types, our beloved Technical Director has come up against a literary hedge and has graciously assigned me to take on this week's blogging responsibilities.
While happy to take on the said task, I find myself contemplating what would be of value to our faithful club membership from the perspective of a lowly office administrator. Perhaps I could relate my theories on what listening to hockey pucks pound sideboards repetitively for hours a day does to ones mental agility. Or maybe you'd like to hear about the adventures of sorting through consistent streams of spam e-mails notifying me of my eligibility for credit cards, outlet priced designer watches and items which I somehow doubt are affiliated with any recognized pharmaceutical companies. Truth be told, I'm sure my daily observations of Troye and Shaun would not only feed a decent blog entry - but quite possibly a sitcom or a book!
With full confidence I can attest that Shaun and Troye's tireless efforts towards realizing the club's full potential are immeasurable; as those of you who have had the opportunity to work with them on and off the pitch would certainly agree. They are constantly searching out, testing and implementing elements of the ultimate soccer program in the city. We recently had the incredible opportunity to welcome a representative from the Bolton Wanderers Football Club, David Bailey. Many teams and coaches had the chance to glean from David's instruction while he was here, and we are excited to realize the benefits of further association with Bolton.
Despite a successful outdoor season full of wins, exciting guests and great accomplishments, as we enter into the ides of July - a notoriously slow time in the soccer office - more slack creeps into the mechanism which for 10 months of the year is pulled tight almost to the point of snapping. It is during this time that the guys have more cognitive leeway to ponder upon the more existential thoughts of life.
Just today, our own Troye contemplated taking up a new life calling; a priest. I knew about his Catholic background, but I was a little more than surprised when I heard this affinity for the cloth coming from our very own Troye Flannery. While I'm sure that Father Flannery's sermons would be intrinsically rich with fundamental values useful for any family or individual - I don't know how families and/or individuals would respond to his sometimes Irish hued vocabulary. Needless to say, my own vocabulary has been involuntarily increased during my time in the NSD Soccer Office. But I am happy to report the slow but steady success of the swear jar, despite initial resistance! So while Father Troye and Deacon Shaun contemplate the logistics of forming a hybrid interdenominational soccer church (which I'd assume would meet bi-annually at Scout Hall), I bid you all farewell and hope to see you again in Indoor!

Red Card's, The Dyke and a Buffet......

Hello Everyone....I'll be short so as to allow for everyone to enjoy summer the day or two that it is actually here.

The World Cup has finally begun to entertain as promised with big headlines, an upset or two and no shortage of drama. One can not help but notice that immediately following a Nation's exit from the tournament the team manager (coach) is either sacked or resigns prior to being sacked! The lone exception of course is England manager Fabio Capello whom has been backed for a longer tenure by the FA. How is it that the manager of perhaps the biggest bust highlighted by commonly agreed horrid team selection can neither resign or be removed?

I have to say that although the game itself wasn't magic by any sense of imagination that the Ghana - Uruguay match has to be a highlight in reference to drama! The game featured more action in the final minutes of overtime than Lowther at an all you can eat buffet. Seconds remaining - hand ball clearance off the line, red card, Ghana with a penal to win and.....miss. Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding......apple pie.

Still pulling for Spain to win it all to garner what little respectability my WC pool has remaining and to silence the TWO dutch fans within this club. Spain will beat Germany and sadly the Dutch will put a finger in yet another dyke and leak/squeak to a final only to lose to Spain. There you have it - the WC decided in print.

Still on the WC - if you are interested I cam across a great website via my good friend Mike Shearon Associate Coach at TWU. The site is www.zonalmarking.net a great find which reviews, previews and offers insight to the tactics employed by each squad at the tournament. No English component as they forgot their tactics at Heathrow.

A special shoot out to all of our U10 players, coaches, managers and parents here at NSDSC for a remarkable season. Success from A to C Developmental on the boys side with league championships, strong play off showings, development and a wee collection of U8 players whom finished the season with a medal at U10! On our girls side we saw a brilliant season come to a championship ending with our U10B Jade and a fantastic season from our U10C Cosmos and coach Ray Smith whom were coached by three of our very own U18 players....Jennifer B, Jaydene R and Jocelyn B under the tutelage of Terry Myles. The young U10C Nova battled to the end and were the recipients of some great coaching under Stefan Dei Cont.
I will leave you with a little piece shared with us from Bolton's David Bailey - a poem written by a young boy U12 entitled "Let Children Play":

They Stand On The Field With Their Hearts Beating Fast
The Whistle Has Blown, The Die Has Cast
Mum And Dad CANNOT Help, They Stand All Alone
A Goal At This Moment Would Send The Team Home
The Ball Near Their Feet, They Kick And It Misses
There's A Moan From The Crowd, Some Boo's And Some Hisses
A Thoughtless Voice Cries "Take Off The Bum"
Tears Fill Their Eyes, It's No Longer Fun
If You're Ever Tempted To Shout Or To Groan
Remember It's A Child, Who Stands All Alone
So Open Your Heart, Give Them A Break
It's Moments Like This, A Player You Make
Keep This In Mind, Please Don't Forget
They're Only Children, Not Adults Yet!

Something to remember.......

Take Care

Personality, Einstein, Cotton Shirts and Apple Pie......

Hello All - I trust all is well as we carry on from one day to the next alternating umbrella's for sunscreen and bug screen. I am a day late this week with my Blog entry as I try to create some anticipation and wonder with my one follower whom I am sure spent most of Tuesday hitting refresh, wondering and waiting for the latest post. Truth be told I was waiting for the result of the England match this morning as I secretly hoped for much to write about regarding doom, gloom and a failing football nation BUT they won so I will have to hold off on such topics!

A few updates - Tino Fusco filled in admirably for Shaun Lowther on the CHQR 770 World Cup Show this past Tuesday and gave Calgary a wee glimpse into his ever shining personality which I eluded to in my last post. Here is a sample of the live broadcast: 770 - " So...Tino are you watching the World Cup?" Tino - "Yes." 770 - "Do you enjoy the Vuvuzela?" Tino - "No." 770 - "What is your involvement in the game?" Tino - "I coach." there you have it...30 minutes of one word answers oh the charismatic one.

Speaking of Shaun - what a good sport but what an ever growing easy target - pardon the pun. We had ordered new academy shirts this season and had to switch manufacturers with much discussion into sizing and so forth. Shaun insisted we go with pre-shrunk cotton for obvious sensible reasons. This small detail needs to be shared because he came skipping, and jumping into the office after the recent English triumph but suddenly froze as he looked down at the reflection staring back from his desk - "Troye did you not order the pre-shrunk cotton? I think my academy shirt has shrunk I will need to speak to Karen about that"......lol. Lowther quote of the week - "May I see the desert menu?". I think the diet is over. Sorry Shaun I have to do it...I get requests to take the micky of you.

I would like to share a great piece of coaching advice I stumbled across through ByteSize Coaching contributed by Andy Donahue:

Einstein - the Golfer

In the late 1930's a young golf instructor had the formidable task of trying to teach the game to the renowned physicist Albert Einstein. The instructor had all of the eagerness of youth without the wisdom of age, so it must have been a sight seeing this young man trying to help Einstein develop a swing.

Unfortunately, what Einstein had in mental ability he seemed to lack in physical dexterity. His hand-eye coordination wasn't the best, and Einstein kept missing many of his shots. After each miss the young golf pro dutifully pointed out what Einstein had done wrong.

-"take the club back more slowly"
-"choke up on the club"
-"keep your head down"
-"don't open up the club face"
-"you're jerking the club when you transition into the downswing"

Finally, the obviously frustrated Einstein asked the young golf pro to hand him a few balls, which the golf pro did. The, throwing four balls back to the pro at once, Einstein yelled, "Catch!"

The pro dodged and weaved but failed to catch a single ball. Einstein raised his finger and offered, "Young man, if I throw you just one ball, you can catch it. If I throw four balls at once, you can't catch even one. So when you teach, make only one point at a time!"

Einstein's admonition - make only one point at a time - is good advice for youth soccer coaches as well.

Design your practice around one main point. Then provide a variety of games and activities throughout the practice that allow you to illustrate this point!

Moving along - Calgary United is set and almost ready....to do battle with Vitoria of Brazil this coming Friday Evening and the support from nsdsc has been fantastic! I hope to see you there and also hope to entertain on the pitch.

David Bailey with us from Bolton this week - great guy, fantastic vision and someone whom I believe will truly help this club reach the next level as he already has left us with considerable insight and resources. It is gong to be hard not to support Bolton this coming season!

Team of the Week - NSDSC Saints 98 - something special about this group - they work, they compete and they are improving leaps and bounds. I absolutely love training this team - well done ladies.

Well that's all this week - good luck on the pitch and enjoy the soccer.

Bumble Bee Melody, Whoopsy and Pending Dismissal!

Alas, week three in blogger world with many things to dwell upon. First and foremost I must inform you all that I have recently been the recipient of a threat - I am told by my immediate supervisor that if I mention his name, diet and/or fitness again that I will be dismissed. Tempting - I could use a holiday.

The World Cup is well underway with all of the usual anticipation; however, I would not be alone in suggesting that thus far we as viewers world wide have been left underwhelmed. Dull, low scoring affairs, prone to incredible blunders and uninteresting headlines. With little doubt the grandest blunder thus far would be Robert Green and his lapse of concentration at the worst possible time in the recent England - USA fixture: Whoopsy! I must say I did feel a bit for him and remain most impressed with both his ability to remain in the match; making a fantastic save in the second half, in addition to how he and his teammates have handled the media post match.

Vuvuzela - sometimes called a "lepatata" (its Tswana name) or a "headache" (its Television Audio name) is by design a blowing horn up to approximately 1m in length. It is commonly blown by fans at soccer matches in South Africa. Technically speaking the instrument is played using a simple brass instrument technique of blowing through compressed lips to create a buzz, and emits a loud monotone - Bb3 if you must know. As I sat down to view the first match of the World Cup I annoyingly spent most of the first half trying to diagnosis what I was sure an audio difficulty with my television as the sound of a massive parade of bumble bee's invading my surround sound was all new to me. I am told this is a part of South Africa and their culture thus I will leave it alone BUT wow what a deeply troubling sound to endure.

Moving on - 770 CHQR AM Radio is hosting a World Cup show and have asked several local soccer figures to sit in and offer their insight to the "beautiful game" airing live on Tuesday Evenings from 8:00PM. This week's guest was to be our very own Shaun Lowther; however, Shaun has backed out at the eleventh hour upon discovering that CHQR would in fact not be feeding him! None the less the show must go on and tonight's guest will be Tino Fusco of Mt Royal University and the Alberta Soccer Association which poses to be interesting as I do know the local police have been searching for Tino's personality for quite some time. In all seriousness I love Tino and in fact my kids refer to him as Uncle Tino but the sound of silence this evening could prove to be an awkward radio moment. Yes, yes I too will be a guest on the program in the coming week's which is strange considering I am blessed with television looks but sadly will be hidden on the radio - I need an agent.

Finally, I am excited to announce that Calgary United whom both Shaun and I coach are privileged to play host to Esporte Clube Vitoria from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The match features the very best Calgary has to offer versus a team known as one of the elite clubs in Brazil. Vitoria plays in the Serie A and look to provide a rare opportunity for all of us to get a glimpse of some pure quality right here in Calgary. A special thanks to Chris Baker (CUFC Owner) for organizing such an event and I hope to see many of you at the pitch on June 25th cheering on your local boys on a world stage. Please see our nsdsc website for the press release and ticket information.

Team of the week: NSDSC Saints 95 - a well played match versus the league leaders of U16 Tier 1 girls and a remarkable performance at the past Academy session despite having spent two days at Spruce Meadows in a fundraising contest. Pure Class and a direct result of the coaching staff Dean Drozdiak and Wes Oddan. Well Done!

Have a great week on the pitch and enjoy the World Cup! I'm out.

"It's the lack of belief that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself" - the great Muhammad Ali.

Henry, Little Shoes and the other Glasgow team...

So here we go - I have yet to be discontinued and have been granted at least one more blog prior to what I am sure is a pending expiry date.

I am pretty happy to announce that our very own Jamie Pollock and his size 6 shoes will be filling my size 8's at Mt Royal University this coming Fall. I could try and suggest that he has big shoes to fill but obviously I don't have big feet and Jamie is as good as they come and without doubt one of the very best teachers the game has to offer. Mt Royal is a great program rich in history with perhaps the best part being the many nsdsc alumni whom now sport the Cougar blue and the hire of Jamie as the MSOC Head Coach is a significant step forward for a program with tremendous ambition - congratulations Jamie!

Interesting fact - I have not seen a Nalgene bottle in this office since my previous post and if in fact Shaun is still sipping the murky, maple syrup and lemon water it is off site well out of the blogger's vantage point. I did; however, notice his silhouette remarkably close to one of our many Spin Bikes at NSD. Hmmmmm, I wonder if?

The World Cup is upon us and the little Geordie is hopping around the office in glee with hopes of English triumph; however, I personally venture to guess that in a short while he like I will spend several lonely hours watching the aspirations of other nations come to fruition. In my case I am abit annoyed that I can not seem to find the Irish anywhere on the television schedule so instead I have come up with a grand idea for a world cup pool - all the usual - predict the winners, the golden boot winner and so forth BUT receive bonus points for predicting which players will lead his team to victory by way of a hand ball. Sorry Thierry Henry is taken.

Back to the local scene - if you want to see a team play some quality soccer get out and take a look at our very own NSDSC Rangers. The Rangers are coached by Scott McGeoch whom I believe to be a closet Glasgow Celtic supporter - aren't we all closet supporters after the recent horrid season. In all seriousness Scott has done a remarkable job and invested much time into the current Tier 1 U14 leaders. In fact Scott has the boys playing a better brand than his beloved Glasgow Rangers - well done Scott and thanks for that! Be sure to check them out at some point this season and look for the match versus arch rivals SWU FC 96.

That's all for this week - enjoy the start of the World Cup and as always good luck on the pitch!

"Success isn't something that just happens - success is learned, success is practiced and then it is shared" - Sparky Anderson - Former MLB Manager.

The First Post - Bolton, Maple Syrup and Lemon.

Okay so here we go the first NSDSC Blog Posting. I was given simple instructions - make sure to use spellcheck and please be professional. So I sit here at the black desk opposite the red desk with thoughts of professionalism racing through my head. I might struggle with such thoughts! Speaking of which, Shaun has started his new maple syrup and lemon water diet - no food just the jar of murky water. I caught him looking at his profile in the reflection of the office window and am sure I heard him curse that he had gained 3 pounds since the diet started. Should I tell him the Guinness is counter productive?

On a serious note I hope you've now become familiar with the recent release regarding our relationship with Bolton Wanderer's of the EPL. I would like to take the opportunity to remind everyone that this relationship is not about professional trials for our young players but rather about coach education and player development with some factual lessons on the reality of what is required both to get to the next level and stay there. I am proud of this fact as some would find it both tempting and easy to dangle the carrot and market professional trials for the purpose of clout, recruiting and so forth. Reality is such that an opportunity could very well occur but only in cases where it is warranted and after much education on the required standards. This is a great opportunity for our coaches, players and club as a whole as we will now be privy to insight from on of the modern game's most cutting edge clubs. It is interesting to point out that at Bolton they believe in the four A's when evaluating players - Attitude, Athleticism, Ability, Ambition in that order. This is very much something that we will explore further in the near future as I believe the principle to have much merit in our own club as well. I am happy to announce that Bolton Wanderer International Soccer School Manager David Bailey will visit us at NSD on June 20 for a week long visit including coach education and player development opportunities. We will be sure to put on a club social where Shaun can work on the fourth pound while David is here.

I would also take this opportunity to acknowledge our many volunteers and thank you all for the work you do with our young players - this includes all whom coach and manage our teams in a club close to 2000 strong. In many cases this commitment surpasses the hours on the pitch as I witnessed this past Sunday while house hunting in Lake Sundance - Coach Stephanne driving his truck in and out of neighbourhood streets collecting bottles with one of his two teams to fundraise for a post season trip to California! If I am not mistaken Stephanne had repeated the task the previous day with his other team! Thanks Stephanne you are another one of our true gems.

I will sign off and wish you all the best in your coming fixtures - good luck on the pitch!


"If you don't invest very much, then defeat doesn't hurt very much and winning isn't very exciting." -Dick Vermeil NFL Coach.

Cheers, Troye Flannery
NSDSC Technical Director